Masks are greyscale images that can be  applied to a layer.  Masks are used to create special effects with precision and can be used to display or hide parts of an image or fade between layers.  The grey value of a mask determines how much it will cover.  When a mask is completely black it will completely mask the layer, when it is completely white it will leave the layer unmasked and when it is grey the layer will be semi-visible. Masks are created and edited in a raster greyscale mode, therefor all tools that work on greyscale images will work on masks. Since a mask is greyscale, you can save it with the image in an alpha channel or as a separate image on your hard disk.  A selection loaded from the alpha channel can be used as a mask and alternately a mask can be used as a selection.    Mask Basics It is assumed that you have a basic knowledge and use of loading and deleting masks. There are three ways to create masks in Paint Shop Pro: Creating a Mask from an Image Select the layer that you want to add the mask  Choose>Masks>New>From Image or right click the mask button on the layer palette Select the image that you wish to create a mask from the source window from the drop down list.  It can be any open image within the workspace From  "Create mask from" select the value to create the mask: Source Luminance - the luminance value of the pixel color determines the degree of masking.  Lighter colors produce less masking Any non-zero value - there is no graduation to the masking.  Pixels with color are completely masked; pixels without color have no masking. Source Opacity - the opacity of the layer determines the degree of masking To invert the mask, select>Invert Mask data check box.  Inverting the mask reverses the transparency.  White becomes black, black becomes white, and greys become their mirror values To apply the mask click OK to close the dialog box Creating a Mask from a Selection Create a selection (for more on selections see lesson plan one) To mask the selection only - choose>Masks>New>Hide Selection or right click the create mask button on the layer palette and choose>hide selection or To mask everything but the selection - choose>Masks>New>Show Selection or right click the create mask button on the layer palette and choose>show selection   Creating a Mask from a Channel Masks can be created when an image is split into its RGB, HSL or CMYK channels as each channel becomes an greyscale image when split: Split the image into channels using one of the three channel splitting options from the Colors menu, leaving the images open and minimized Make the original image the active image Choose>Masks>New>From Image or right click the create mask button from layer palette and choose>From Image From the source window, select which channel image you want to use for creating the mask From the Create Mask from panel, select the Source Opacity option Select the Invert Mask Data to invert the mask(optional) To apply the mask click OK to close the dialog box Tip: To view a mask using a red overlay, choose Masks>View Mask   Saving a Mask Masks can be saved in two ways: Saving a Mask to the Hard Drive Choose>Masks>Save to Disk Select the folder where you want to save your mask In the file name box select a name for the mask.  From the "Save as type" select the .msk format Click OK to save the mask   Saving a Mask to an Alpha Channel Choose>Masks>Save to Alpha Channel.  The name of the image containing the mask will appear in the available documents In the available Alpha list, double click New Channel or highlight New Channel and click OK From the New Dialog box type a name for the new mask Click OK to save the mask After the mask has been saved it will still appear in the image.  To delete the mask, from the Masks Menu>Choose>Delete and do not merge  it into the layer* * The mask is still in the image's alpha channel even though it no longer affects the image.   Lesson Plan Now that we have covered the basics of making mask you are ready to go have some fun. Here are three (3) online tutorials. Please submit at least one tutorial result to the group or you can submit one for each tutorial. PSP 7 1 Intro to Masks - http://www.udraw2.com/sp/psppower/intromasks1.html 2 Photo Edges with Masks - http://www.grafx-design.com/20psp.html 3 Making a Mask from Scratch – http://estazia.topcities.com/psptuts/masktut.htm Bonus Special Effects with PSP 7 - http://www.psppower.com/2002march/masks.htm PSP 8 1 Mask Basics - http://www.psphelp.com/Version8/v8masks_01.html 2 Making Masks - http://moonsdesigns.com/tutorials/psp8/masks2.html 3 Vignette Mask - http://moonsdesigns.com/tutorials/psp8/masks3.html Bonus Making Masks PSP 8 - http://www.psphelp.com/Version8/v8masks_02.html   Extra for Fun Using any of the tutorials or your own experimentation, make your very own mask, and share it with the group! PLEASE though, I will ask that you post ONLY 1 .msk file   You can do anything you like, use any image you like and you can use plugins and filters. Be creative, but, please use the basics of the tutorials.   Lesson Resources There is always more to know and learn about Paint Shop Pro. Here are a few online resources that you might find helpful: Taking the Phantom Out of Mask Art Dept Special Effects with Masks   Lesson Submittal Please remember to resize your final image so that it is no larger than 350 pixels on the largest/longest side. Please name your results as:  Your name - masks1 (for tutorial 1) Your name - masks2 (for tutorial 2) Your name - masks3 (for tutorial 3) Submit your results to the group at http://pspimaginarium.com/forum   ::Index:: ::Intermediate Series:: ::Glossary:: ::Short Cut Keys:: ::Resources::   Copyright © 2000-2002 Franklin Lane All rights reserved. Unless specifically made available for download, no graphics or text may be removed from this site for any reason without express written permission from Franklin Lane Paint Shop Pro is a registered trademark of Jasc Software, Inc.